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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside ... see more see more... , Marshall Bell , Mel Johnson Jr , Michael Champion , Roy Brocksmith , Rosemary Dunsmore , Pricilla Allen , Marc Alaimo , Ray Baker , Erika Carlson , Mark Carlton , Debbie Lee Carrington , Erik Cord , Benny Corral , Robert Costanzo , Roger Cudney , Gloria Dorson , Ken Gilden , Ellen Gollas , Michael Gregory , Linda Howell , Mickey Jones , David Knell , Frank Kopyc , Michael LaGuardia , Anne Lockhart , Kamala Lopez , Paula McClure , Lycia Naff , Dave Nicolson , Dean Norris , Robert Picardo , Sasha Rionda , Alexia Robinson , Rebecca Ruth , Chuck Sloan , Monica Steuer , Ken Strausbaugh , Milt Tarver , Bob Tzudiker , Joe Unger , Parker Whitman , Morgan Lofting

In Paul Verhoeven's wild sci-fi action movie Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a 21st-century construction worker who discovers that his entire memory of the past derives from a memory chip im... read more read more...planted in his brain. Schwarzenegger learns that he's actually a secret agent who had become a threat to the government, so those in power planted the chip and invented a domestic lifestyle for him. Once he has realized his true identity, he travels to Mars to piece together the rest of his identity, as well as to find the man responsible for his implanted memory. Verhoeven has created a fast, furious action film with Total Recall, filled with impressive stunts and (literally) eye-popping visuals. Though the film bears only a passing resemblance to the Philip K. Dick short story it was based on ("We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"), the movie is an entertaining, if very violent, ride. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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81% liked it

43 critics

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Release Date: June 1, 1990

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DVD Release Date: August 29, 2000

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Stats: 9,112 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (9,112)

  • fb733768972
    May 9, 2012
    fb733768972
    It may not be the greatest science fiction film of all time, but "Total Recall" is the type of movie that you can sit back, relax and enjoy at any time, given that it can appeal to many audience members who are willing to witness a gory good time. When this film begins, Doug Quai... read mored (Schwarzenegger) is deciding whether or not to go to a company known as Recall, which gives you memories for however long you want, and wherever you want them to be. Doug always dreams about Mars, so he is looking for an implantation of that world. The film takes many turns that I actually did not see coming, but in the end, it is one hell of a fantastic action/aci-fi feature. The dialogue is brilliantly witty, the action is incredible, the visuals are great for it's time, and the characters are well constructed. My only point to pick at the movie is that these characters never have enough chemistry, the scenes where they do, end up concluding a little too soon. Overall, "Total Recall" is one of my favourite Sci-fi films!
  • fb7018436
    April 15, 2012
    fb7018436
    Worth it to see the famed space hooker with three tits.
  • paulkoh110
    February 20, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Its really silly but its actually really good as well. Verhoeven makes sure that this film doesn't take itself too seriously which makes it likable but also memorable.
  • 3niR
    January 25, 2012
    3niR
    It was an okay movie. Obviously 90's movies would be hard to impress nowadays.
  • binky013
    October 15, 2011
    binky013
    Geez, the remakes are coming so fast these days that it almost seems like the minute a movie wraps, someone else is picking up the script to reshoot. Ridiculous. This movie is one of Schwarzenegger's best, and I just love the "consider that a divorce" line when Sharon Stone get... read mores what's coming to her. Whatever happened to Rachel Ticotin? She is hot : )

    Ronny Cox sure knows how to play villains. He is beyond nasty in this one. For kicking over the fish tank alone, he deserves what he gets. Note how the close up of those poor fish gasping for air prefigures Cox's own happy ending?

    And who can forget the lady with the exploding head? My favorite line? Gotta be

    See you at the Pahty, Richter : )

    The most important thing I learned from this movie is that if you pretend to be in a dream, never let em see you sweat. Mind-blowing : )
  • ironclad1609
    August 13, 2011
    ironclad1609
    In many regards a typical 80s/90s Schwarzenegger vehicle, this film has a lot more to offer below the surface. While being a fast-paced, breathless sci-fi action thriller the story behind it has a few interesting layers about reality, memories and dreams. The film does have its s... read moretrongest moments when our protagonist is asked to question if he is still living in a fake memory or is part of a huge conspiracy. The make-up effects look a but dated and tacky by now, but at least they are imaginative and freaky, as you'd expect from a film set on Mars. While the solution is a bit silly, it is at least larger than life and spectacular. Surprisingly smart action cinema from a different era of film making. We'll see how the remake compares 2012.
  • ajv2688
    April 13, 2011
    ajv2688
    You can see the beginnings of 90s sci-fi styles here, I think. Anyway, this movie is a great adventure, and I really liked it.
  • TomBowler
    March 16, 2011
    TomBowler
    What the what? Strange goings-on on Mars as directed by resident crazy person Paul Verhoeven. Full review later.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    January 6, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I've heard many good things about Total Recall, but I never got around to seeing the film. Until recently. When I first watched it, I was blown away, everything from the story to the special effects was stunning. A well made Sci Fi action film, Total Recall is one of Paul Verho... read moreeven's best films along with Robocop and Starship Troopers. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in one of his performances as Doug Quaid, one of his best roles since Terminator. Verhoeven directs this stunning piece of Sci Fi Action with style. One of the best things about the film are the insane special effects created by master Special effects artist Rob Bottin, now if you know some of his work, he's most famous famous for his on John Carpenter's The Thing. In this film his effects are nasty, gory, disgusting all in a good way of course. Schwarzenegger plays Doug Quaid a man who travels to Mars via a memory implant, and because of this, Quaid thinks he's a secret agent sent to Mars to save it from Antagonist Vilas Cohaagen. Michael Ironside is phenomenal as Richter, Cohaagen's head of security who has a strong hatred for Quaid. Total Recall is a visually appealing action film that delivers non stop action, thrills and a high body count, but if you know Paul Verhoeven's work, you know that ultra violence is one of selling points for his films. Not for people who hate a violent film, but more so for people who enjoy a good action sci fi flick that follows in the footsteps of The Terminator and Robocop. Total Recall is an action Sci fi modern classic and is one thrilling film.
  • jagfire
    November 14, 2010
    jagfire
    Good sci-fi action film. One of Arnie's best as well, full of violent action and one-liners. "Consider it a divorce"

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Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman
July 6, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Total Recall is too much -- but it's too much of a good thing. Full Review

March 1, 2007
Variety

The fierce and unrelenting pace, accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek strain of humor in the roughhouse screenplay, keeps the film moving like a juggernaut. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 1, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

A worthy entry in the dystopian cycle launched by Blade Runner, this seems less derivative than most of its predecessors yet equally accomplished in its straight-ahead storytelling, with plenty of pro... Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Melding the ever-more-workable Schwarzenegger mystique with a better-than-average science-fiction premise, the director Paul Verhoeven has come up with a vigorous, superviolent interplanetary thriller... Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

A gratuitous explosion of vainglory and guts, the movie is all firecrackers and giblets and broken glass. The overall effect is like wading through hospital waste. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Recall is full of the musclebound action that [Schwarzenegger's] fans presumably enjoy. It also means that this Mars-bound movie is violent, nasty and expensive (it cost Tri-Star well over $60 million). Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There may be people who overlook the Arnold Schwarzenegger performance in Total Recall who think he isn't really acting. But the performance is one of the reasons the movie works so well. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Neither Arnold Schwarzenegger nor Paul Verhoeven have stretched their talents here. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
December 2, 2011
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Overall, the movie's imaginative effects and ideas win the day. Full Review

Garth Franklin
July 6, 2010
Garth Franklin, Dark Horizons

An absolutely superb sci-fi film and a true modern cornerstone of the genre not seen since the deeper though less entertaining Blade Runner nearly ten years previous. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Doug Quaid: Consider this a divorce.
    • Doug Quaid: [laughs] Did you think this is the real Doug Quaid? It is.
    • Doug Quaid: Now, this is the plan. Get your ass to Mars.
    • Doug Quaid: See you at the party, Richter!
    • Lori Quaid: Doug, honey... you wouldn't hurt me, would you, sweetheart? Sweetheart, be reasonable. After all, we're married! [Lori goes for her gun, Quaid shoots her in the head, killing her]
    • Doug Quaid: Consider that a divorce!
    • Vilas Cohaagen: In thirty seconds you'll be dead, and I'll blow this place up and be home in time for corn flakes.
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Total Recall Trivia

  • Which movie is this Arnold Schwarzenegger's quote from? "Consider that a divorce."  Answer »
  • On the movie, Total Recall, who is the resistance leader who helped Quaid to find the reactor to the core inside Mars?  Answer »
  • In "Total Recall", what was the name of the backstabbing taxi driver?  Answer »
  • Which "Arnold Movie" is this line from? "See you at the party Richter."  Answer »
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